The term “radome,” which is a portmanteau word derived from the words radar and dome, originally referred to radar-transparent, dome-shaped structures that protected radar antennas on aircraft. Over time, its meaning has expanded to encompass almost any structure that protects a device, such as a radar antenna, that sends or receives electromagnetic radiation, such as that generated by radar, and is substantially transparent to the electromagnetic radiation. A radome can be flat, ogival, etc.; it need not be dome-shaped. Radomes are found on aircraft, sea-faring vessels, and on the ground.
Radomes typically have a solid, exterior “skin” for isolating antennas, etc., and accompanying electronics from the ambient environment (e.g., weather and other environmental influences). Radomes usually comprise either (1) solid foams or (2) cellular cores (e.g., honeycomb, etc.) with solid facing sheets that are formed of a fiber-reinforced composite material. The radome must, of course, be substantially transparent to radio-frequency radiation.
The electronics that radomes protect generate heat. In high-power systems, liquid-cooling must be used to dissipate the substantial heat load generated by the electronics. But liquid cooling systems are heavy and relatively complex, which is undesirable, particularly for use in air craft and naval vessels.
Air cooling is a lower-weight, lower-complexity alternative to liquid cooling. Air-cooled systems rely on the thermal conductivity of the radome's structural materials and the efficient routing of air flow over electronics to provide cooling. But radomes are typically made from composite materials, which are not well suited for thermal management. As a consequence, current air-cooled systems are limited to the relatively lower heat loads of low-power applications.
It would be desirable, therefore, to increase the effectiveness of air-cooled systems so that they can be used for the thermal management of higher-power antennas.